


I'm A Sound in A Dead Language I Know

by alphagottadonk



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek stays with the Stilinskis, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of canon character death, Nogitsune Aftermath, Post-Nogitsune, Stiles needs a nightlight to sleep, bed sharing, post season 3B, very slight mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-10
Updated: 2014-04-10
Packaged: 2018-01-18 20:42:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1442182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphagottadonk/pseuds/alphagottadonk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He started using a nightlight and it was the only thing that helped.</p><p>(Or the one where Stiles has trouble sleeping without his nightlight and Derek sleeping in bed with him helps)</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm A Sound in A Dead Language I Know

**Author's Note:**

> unbeta'd  
> This was written at 7:30 in the morning on 24 hours without sleep. There may be a mistake or two.

Derek started hanging around more often than not after things settled down again. He never explained why and Stiles never questioned, but he had a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t just for Stiles’ benefit. He could tell if he looked close enough that Derek didn’t want to be alone after just getting back from being tortured yet again. Stiles thought it supremely unfair how often that seemed to be a theme in the guy’s life.

Stiles was never really alone between Scott, Lydia, and Derek. Scott and Lydia were reeling worse than everyone else that he knew of, because they had been the closest to Allison besides her dad, but that was a given. Isaac left after it happened, was staying up in Washington at Argent’s previous home all expenses paid which was confusing but not unfathomable. It made sense enough to him that Argent would help Isaac considering he had been with Allison before she died.

Basically, they were all in need of help, though he felt like everyone treated him like he was the worst. So he killed a lot of people while possessed by an old, mischievous trickster spirit. He could deal. Healing physically was a different story.

He was always tired, always cold. It felt like something was hollowed out in him and demanded to be recognized all the time. It was hard to eat or get up and actually do anything besides sleep and if he did, he felt almost like he was suffering from the flu, but aside from that? He was fine. Completely fine.

Derek didn’t want Stiles to know he was keeping watch over him at first. He stayed outside the house like some kind of guardian and nothing more, so Stiles didn’t really know anything was out of the ordinary.

He was sitting at the kitchen table forcing himself to finish homework while he heated a casserole in the oven so his dad didn’t have to cook when he got home or, by the looks of it, the possibility of the storm knocking the electricity out; he had been telling his dad for a while they needed to switch to a butane stove instead of electric, but he never listened.

He was just wrapping up his essay for English when he heard the front door open and his dad muttering something which was a bit odd. He heaved himself up and headed toward the foyer and gaped when he found his dad standing in the doorway with a soaking wet Derek in tow.

“Um,”

He tried, confused about the sight. His dad kicked his shoes off and hung his jacket on the coat rack before explaining, “Found him wandering through Main like this. Said his vehicle was acting up and was walking back to his hotel.”

Stiles frowned at all of that but the part that stood out the most was the mention of a hotel. “Hotel? What are you doing staying in a hotel?” He questioned at Derek, who was watching the floor with a somewhat disgruntled look on his face like he didn’t want to be there. “Since Kate,” He answered begrudgingly, kicking his shoes off as well and stepping into the house. “Loft isn’t safe.”

And that made sense. Stiles didn’t know how he didn’t think of that sooner. Since they got Derek back, they should have been keeping a better eye on him since Kate hadn’t been caught yet, but everyone was so caught up in their own problems and besides, since when did anyone ever seem to care about Derek until it was already too late? Stiles was guilty of doing that too.

“Right, okay.”

 

***

They all sat down and ate together after the Sheriff gave Derek a dry change of clothes and pointed him to the shower. He picked at it disinterestedly and forced himself to choke down a couple bites to appease his dad, who periodically cut his gaze across the table to stare worriedly at Stiles’ too full plate. He never had an appetite anymore and he could tell by the stress around the Sheriff’s eyes that he couldn’t help thinking about the first few years Stiles was on the Adderall. It had been difficult because he got several of the side effects including the botched appetite.

What he didn’t expect was for Derek to be doing the same, casting sidelong glances Stiles’ way every few minutes and making a disapproving sound when he didn’t clear his plate.

After dinner, he headed upstairs to check the guest bedroom to see if there was any hope of them being able to clean it enough for Derek to use. The only guest they ever really got was Scott and he wasn’t even technically a guest anymore since he was such a part of their lives. He usually just piled in bed with Stiles meaning there wasn’t any need for a guest room so over the years, it was turned into more of a ‘we don’t know where else to store this so just throw it in this room for now’ room. It was full of furniture and books and dog supplies from when they tried bringing home training pups for the K-9 unit and decided it wouldn’t work with Stiles’ allergies.

The rest was miscellaneous flotsam they should really get rid of, all coming together in a mess that would take at last a week for Stiles to clean out. Looked like Derek was either going to be taking the couch or the floor, and he told them that when he headed back downstairs. Derek tried reasoning that he would be fine at the hotel, but the Sheriff insisted he should just accept the place there where it was slightly safer.

The Sheriff headed to bed not long after, mentioning having to go in early and leaving Stiles alone with Derek.

“I don’t think the couch is going to work,”

He pointed out. It was a small couch, more along the size of a loveseat really. Whenever he napped on it, he had to sleep in the fetal position just to fit or else his legs had to be dangled over the arm of the couch so he could imagine Derek would be worse. 

Derek slept in the floor of the living room for the first night and Stiles felt bad for it because the floor was never comfortable. He laid down every spare blanket he could find to make it more comfortable and Derek assured him it was good enough before lying down. Stiles headed to bed promptly after, expecting Derek to stay at least the night since the storm didn’t look to be letting up.

It was obvious that his dad had some kind of a talk with Derek while he was away at school considering he hadn’t left by the time Stiles got home again. He was slightly relieved by that because at least this way Derek wasn’t completely alone.

He came home and went straight to bed, his already low energy reserves completely expended. He was woke at dusk to Derek checking in on him, asking if he was okay or if he needed anything. It was odd but not unpleasant and they spent the rest of the evening in a companionable sort of silence until the Sheriff returned home and Derek surprised them both by cooking dinner.

“This was a good decision,”

The Sheriff mused as they ate and Derek did some strange expression that looked almost like he was flustered.

His dad suggested he move Derek’s makeshift bed to his bedroom floor after a week and Stiles was too shocked to respond. He explained to Stiles that Derek was an unusually light sleeper and woke up every morning the Sheriff was trying to get ready for work, no matter how quiet he tried to be.

“It’s so weird. He’ll sit up like he wasn’t even asleep and ask if I want him to make the coffee.”

He told Stiles over lunch, glaring at the veggie burger Stiles brought him like it was the root of all evil in the world. Stiles couldn’t help but laugh at the thought, cooing over how Derek sounded like he was becoming a baby duck and imprinting on the Sheriff.

“Soon, he’ll be following you around everywhere you go.” He warned, waving a fry at his dad teasingly.

The problem with what his father suggested though? He really didn’t want Derek in his room at night. It wasn’t like he had a problem sleeping around other people or anything, but after the nogitsune, sleep was harder to come by.

He had to keep to a very specific routine or else he couldn’t sleep at all. He had to have his pillow and a specific blanket, he had to have noise which came in the form of the oscillating fan he kept near the dresser, and the most embarrassing? He would wake up with terrible nightmares every time if he slept in the dark. He started using a nightlight and it was the only thing that helped.

Scott was the only one that knew besides his dad. Scott was actually the one that bought the nightlight, just a small plug-in that’s decorative fixture was a little moon that lit up white when it was on. Scott thought it was clever and ironic and Stiles had been so appreciative to have a best friend like Scott that didn’t judge or make fun of him for it.

Derek though? Stiles couldn’t be sure. He still moved the mound of blankets into his room and set it all up underneath the window so that he had room to walk around as he got ready for school.

“Okay,”

He said when it was time to go to sleep, rubbing his hands together nervously. He had the fan turned on and his bedding he needed but Derek was staring at him like he could tell something was off about Stiles and he deflated, knowing he couldn’t admit it.

He climbed into bed and waited for Derek to flip the lights off, the room blanketed in a stark darkness when he did. Only the faintest light was filtering in through the window enough that he could somewhat see Derek’s silhouette as he lay down, but that was it.

Stiles tried to force himself to calm down and just go to sleep without the nightlight, pulling his blanket up around his chin and closing his eyes. He focused on the phosphenes dancing beneath his eyelids for a while hoping he could lull himself to sleep but it wasn’t working.

He pushed out a sigh and tried finding a comfortable position but every way he laid, all he could focus on was the darkness. It had his stomach churning anxiously. He didn’t like not being able to see around him, always on edge like if he let his guard down, something else was going to swoop in and grab hold of him.

Eventually, Derek groaned and Stiles rolled toward him when he heard his blankets rustling and then a moment later, he was asking, “What’s wrong?”

Stiles chewed at the inside of his lip until Derek huffed again, obviously not willing to take silence as an answer.

“I have a lot of really particular habits I have to do in order to sleep.”

He admitted, listening to the seconds that passed before Derek asked, “Like?”

He bundled his blankets up under his face and berated himself for how childish it was. He was talking to a freaking werewolf about being scared of the dark.

“Like having my fan on. And using this pillow,” He responded, Derek giving a quick, “And you have that,” that had Stiles rolling his eyes to himself.

“I’m one of those gigantic babies that can’t sleep without a nightlight, too, apparently.”

He elaborated and waited for some kind of biting response from Derek, but didn’t get one. Instead, he listened to him moving around before the small nightlight flicked on from the outlet near the dresser, a dim glow settling throughout the room.

Stiles relaxed into the mattress as he peeked over the hem of the blanket to try and gauge Derek’s reaction, but he was already lying back down and rubbing his face against his pillow before saying, “Now go to sleep.”

Stiles hesitated before offering, “We don’t have to. I don’t want you to lose sleep over it.” Derek didn’t even bother responding.

 

***

He was already exhausted when he got up to get ready for school, not looking forward to the day when he felt like he couldn’t even keep his eyes open. He tried being as quiet as possible as he grabbed a fresh change of clothes from the dresser, but when he chanced a look down, Derek was already staring up at him.

“Dude,” He crowed, going to point out how creepy that was and that Derek should learn how to warn someone instead of scaring them. He stopped when he noticed how awake he looked though, almost certain those were dark spots circling his eyes.

“You didn’t sleep, did you.” He guessed, not needing an answer to know it was the truth and he felt simultaneously embarrassed and guilty knowing it was because of the stupid nightlight. Derek just waved him off and pushed to his feet with a yawn, offering to make breakfast.

***

The day dragged on forever it seemed and he was going to nap as soon as he got home, he was sure of it. He tossed his bag down at the door when he got home and made a beeline for the couch where Derek was sat reading a book, too tired to care about the way he dropped down beside him and promptly fell asleep using Derek’s legs as a pillow.

 

His dad ended up working late and wouldn’t be home until just before midnight so Stiles made sure he had food ready for when he got home and then headed up to bed, determined not to use the nightlight this time. Derek didn’t get to sleep last night so it was only fair that he take the sleepless night this time.

Except when he got out of the shower and headed to his room, Derek already had the lights off and the nightlight on, curled up on his bed looking half asleep.  Stiles slipped under his covers and trained his gaze on the small light for a bit before steeling a breath and demanding, “Turn it off.”

Derek rolled over and looked up at him, confusion clear on his face. “No,” He said, shaking his head, “You said you can’t sleep without it.”

“And you can’t sleep with it.” He shot back, shaking his head just like Derek before catching himself and forcing himself to lay still. “I’m too old to be relying on a stupid light to sleep. It’s embarrassing and pathetic.”

He almost wanted Derek to agree with him just so he would feel more justified in his decision, but he didn’t. “If it helps you sleep, it stays on.” Derek spoke in a tone that sounded like it wasn’t up for discussion and Stiles should be thankful for that.

“There’s, um,”

He started before realizing what his train of thought was supplying and clamped his mouth shut, practically able to feel the heat in his face at how he almost made the situation ten times more awkward. Derek pushed up on an elbow and quirked a brow all but demanding Stiles to continue though and he shouldn’t have, but he pursed his lips and did exactly that regardless.

“Sometimes when Scott stays over, I can sleep without it if we’re sharing the bed.”

He explained in a rush, rolling over after to avoid the look he knew Derek would without a doubt give him. The one where his brows pinched together and he looked at Stiles like he had grown a second head. He could feel it being directed at the back of his head anyways and it was extremely unsettling.

He wasn’t sure how Derek would respond, but when a pillow was tossed onto the bed beside his head, he couldn’t help but sit up to look back to Derek incredulously. At first he thought he was so appalled by Stiles’ suggestion that he was throwing the pillow at his head, but Derek was standing up and gathering one of the blankets before making his way closer. He crawled over Stiles and plopped down in the empty spot against the wall before covering himself up and rolling onto his side toward Stiles.

“What? The floor is uncomfortable,”

He grumbled when Stiles continued staring like some kind of idiot, but he hadn’t actually expected Derek to oblige. He shifted so that Derek had plenty of room, mind helpfully screaming ‘ _you’re in bed with Derek Hale right now. Stay calm, Stiles’._ And that was actually pretty counter-productive. He really hadn’t thought this through.

What if he got a boner while he was sleeping and woke up spooning Derek so that there was no way either of them could deny it ever happened? He would probably dig a hole in the backyard and bury himself.

Or, what if the roles were reversed and he woke up to Derek’s—And that was a thought he forbade to go any further because he didn’t want to know what would happen if he thought about Derek’s dick when he was lying less than a foot away.

“Can you go to sleep now, please? I’m tired,”

Derek said beside him, derailing the thoughts ricocheting around his head and he nodded vigorously, more than on board with just going to sleep and _not_ thinking about Derek’s dick. He thought about Derek’s dick anyways.

***

They slept fine and there were no embarrassing boners. The light ended up not being needed, but he did have some trouble staying asleep. He felt like he was too vulnerable on the outside and told Derek that the next night as they were getting ready for bed again. Derek offered him the inside, swearing he could sleep on either side without a problem.

Stiles felt much safer between Derek and the wall, relaxing into the mattress as soon as they were in bed. It wasn’t as dark as last night, the sky clear enough that the moonlight was filtering in the windows lightly. It wasn’t much but he could make out Derek’s face after his eyes adjusted to the dark.

“What?”

Derek asked without peeling his eyes open, Stiles frowning at the way he was able to feel he was being watched. Stiles didn’t know what to say, so he told Derek about how he was pretty sure Scott and Lydia had been hanging out a lot lately and he honestly wasn’t sure if it was a grieving thing or something else.

“Are you two going to end up fighting over Lydia now?”

Derek snorted eventually, eyes opened just enough to let Stiles know he was listening and the question caught him by surprise. “What? Dude, no. Lydia would kill both of us for treating her like a prize or something.” He laughed, more than sure that she would. He shrugged after a moment though, not sure what to say.

“I don’t know. I mean, I’m mostly just thinking that they would probably be great together if it actually happened, you know?”

Derek gave what could almost pass as a small smile, murmuring, “Would you look at that? Stiles is growing up.” He shoved at Derek’s shoulder for the jab and wanted to point out that liking someone wasn’t childish, but refrained because he knew that wasn’t what Derek was talking about. The pining after someone for years even after the feelings moved from genuine to habitual was what he was referring to.

“Yeah, well, what can I say? I’m mature and shit now. Looking for the real stuff and whatnot.” He responded flippantly, waving a hand in an airy manner. Derek’s mouth curved up into an actual grin at that, small and tired looking but still there. It was enough to make something in Stiles’ chest clench, knowing it wasn’t an expression Derek used often. It made him feel like he accomplished some huge feat and he couldn’t help but smile back dopily as he tried memorizing the sight.

Derek rolled his eyes and looked back at Stiles, questioning, “Seriously, what?” And maybe he was staring like a creep. “Nothing,” Stiles tried, licking his lips nervously and scanning Derek’s expression for a moment before ducking in and pressing a sloppy kiss to the stubble on his cheek. If he could get away with that, he figured he could file it away as one of his most impressive feats ever because Derek would probably eviscerate him if he wasn’t okay with it.

“Just, thanks.” He added in little more than a whisper, going to roll over, but Derek was suddenly reaching out to grab his arm and stopping him. His heart jolted and he could feel the apology crawling up his throat as he was forced onto his back but the words died out in his mouth when Derek leaned up on his elbow to watch Stiles.

He looked uncertain as he scrutinized Stiles, like he was trying to find some hint of a joke and Stiles felt bad that he couldn’t even accept a small gesture of gratitude without expecting bad from it. He wanted to voice that but didn’t because Derek was leaning in, eyes flicking down to Stiles’ mouth and back up to his eyes like he was waiting for any objections.

Stiles was nowhere near objecting and he made sure Derek was aware of that by reaching up and curling a hand around the back of Derek’s neck, urging him closer. Derek’s lips pressed to his softly first, then more firmly when Stiles didn’t try pushing him away.

First, Derek slept in bed with him and now he was being kissed by the guy. And if anyone ever told him kissing someone with a beard wasn’t a great experience, he would argue that they were completely wrong because it was a pretty great experience. It burned just enough against his skin to leave it feeling sensitive and overheated, an interesting contrast to how soft Derek’s lips were.

“You’re kissing me,” He stated against Derek’s mouth, skin shocking hot at the way it felt to have his lips brushing against Derek’s as he talked. Derek chuckled quietly at the obvious statement and nodded, shifting in closer and flicking the tip of his tongue over Stiles’ bottom lip in an unfairly teasing way before pulling back enough to stare at Stiles, who was probably looking back in a half-lidded daze.

“Is that okay?”

Derek asked, hand splaying out wide over Stiles’ chest and pressing in a way that felt possessive and Stiles decided instantly that he was all for that.

“No, that’s completely okay. Like, ‘why the hell did you stop?’ levels of okay,” He sputtered back, tongue not wanting to cooperate enough to form actual words.

“Because it’s late. And you have to be up at six a.m.?” Derek reminded, brows rising slightly when his eyes dropped back down to Stiles’ mouth, getting a grin in response. “Right. So you aren’t thinking of kissing me again?” He teased, barking out a quick laugh when Derek said, “Nope,” as he was leaning back in and slotting their mouths together again.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi at my [tumblr](http://www.larkspurleaf.tumblr.com)


End file.
